# Sarcococca

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sarcococca
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sarcococca.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcococca
> Source revision: 1354827771
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Genus of flowering plants

Sarcococca Sarcococca humilis Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Order: Buxales Family: Buxaceae Genus: Sarcococca Lindl. Species See text

***Sarcococca***, nicknamed **sweet box** or **Christmas box**,[1][2] is a [genus](/source/Genus) of [flowering plants](/source/Flowering_plant) in the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Buxaceae](/source/Buxaceae). [native](/source/Native_plant) to eastern and southeastern Asia, and the Himalayas, with one species native to Central America. They are slow-growing, [monoecious](/source/Monoecious), [evergreen](/source/Evergreen) [shrubs](/source/Shrub) 1–2 m (3–7 ft) tall. The [leaves](/source/Leaf) are borne alternately, 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm broad.

## Distribution and habitat

As of January 2025, the genus *Sarcococca* contains 15 accepted species.[3][4] The genus is predominantly native to Asia, with more than half of the Sarcococca species native to China,[5] however one species (*Sarcococca conzattii)* is native to southern [Mexico](/source/Mexico) ([Oaxaca](/source/Oaxaca)) and [Guatemala](/source/Guatemala).[6][7]

## Physical characteristics

The plants bear fragrant white flowers, often in winter. The [fruit](/source/Fruit) is a red or black [drupe](/source/Drupe) containing 1–3 [seeds](/source/Seed). Some species are cultivated as [groundcover](/source/Groundcover) or low hedging in moist, shady areas.[8] The basic [chromosome](/source/Chromosome) number for the genus is 14 (2n = 28).[9]

## Name origin

The genus name *Sarcococca* comes from the Greek σάρξ (*sárx*) and κόκκος (*kókkos*) for "fleshy berry", referring to the black fruit.[10]

## Selected species

- *[Sarcococca confusa](/source/Sarcococca_confusa)* Sealy – Sweet box

- *Sarcococca conzattii* (Standl.) I.M.Johnst.

- *[Sarcococca hookeriana](/source/Sarcococca_hookeriana)* Baill.

- *[Sarcococca humilis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcococca_humilis&action=edit&redlink=1)* Stapf

- *[Sarcococca longifolia](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcococca_longifolia&action=edit&redlink=1)* M. Cheng

- *[Sarcococca longipetiolata](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcococca_longipetiolata&action=edit&redlink=1)* M. Cheng

- *[Sarcococca orientalis](/source/Sarcococca_orientalis)* C. Y. Wu

- *[Sarcococca pruniformis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcococca_pruniformis&action=edit&redlink=1)* ([Saracodine](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saracodine&action=edit&redlink=1) courier)

- *[Sarcococca ruscifolia](/source/Sarcococca_ruscifolia)* Stapf

- *[Sarcococca saligna](/source/Sarcococca_saligna)* (D. Don) Mull.-Arg.

- *[Sarcococca vagans](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcococca_vagans&action=edit&redlink=1)* Stapf

- *[Sarcococca wallichii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarcococca_wallichii&action=edit&redlink=1)* Stapf

- *[Sarcococca zeylanica](/source/Sarcococca_zeylanica)* Baill.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** The Plant List: [http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=sarcococca](http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=sarcococca)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs, Redwood Burn, 1998

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Sarcococca Lindl. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:15885-1). *Plants of the World Online*. Retrieved 2025-01-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Sarcococca Lindl"](https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000034031). *www.worldfloraonline.org*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230317221550/http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000034031) from the original on 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2025-01-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Sarcococca in Flora of China @ efloras.org"](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=129205). *www.efloras.org*. Retrieved 2025-01-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Sarcococca conzattii (Standl.) I.M.Johnst. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:227693-2). *Plants of the World Online*. Retrieved 2025-01-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Shipunov, Alexey; Lee, Hye Ji; Choi, Jinhee; Pay, Kyle; DeSpiegelaire, Sarah; Floden, Aaron (2020-08-07). "Not out of the box: phylogeny of the broadly sampled Buxaceae". [bioRxiv](/source/BioRxiv_(identifier)) [10.1101/2020.08.03.235267](https://doi.org/10.1101%2F2020.08.03.235267).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RHSAZ_8-0)** *RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants*. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4053-3296-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4053-3296-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Kubitzki, Klaus (2007). *The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. 9. Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Berberidopsidales, Buxales, Crossosomatales, Fabales p.p., Geraniales, Gunnerales, Myrtales p.p., Proteales, Saxifragales, Vitales, Zygophyllales, Clusiaceae Alliance, Passifloraceae Alliance, Dilleniaceae, Huaceae, Picramniaceae, Sabiaceae*. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 43. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3540322191](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3540322191). For Sarcococca, diploids with 2n=28 (less frequently, tetraploids) are recorded.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-AZPLA_10-0)** Coombes, Allen J. (2012). [*The A to Z of plant names*](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312). USA: Timber Press. pp. [312](https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781604691962/page/312). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-60469-196-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-60469-196-2).

- [Flora of Pakistan: *Sarcococca*](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=129205)

- [Flora of China: *Sarcococca* species list](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=3&taxon_id=129205)

Taxon identifiers Sarcococca Wikidata: Q3009215 Wikispecies: Sarcococca CoL: 63RPV EoL: 2874336 EPPO: 1SARG FNA: 129205 FoC: 129205 GBIF: 7285986 GRIN: 10730 iNaturalist: 273010 IPNI: 15885-1 IRMNG: 1087550 NBN: NHMSYS0000463215 NCBI: 108422 NZOR: ecd11bc9-0dcc-480e-8177-7dc27bb7b063 Open Tree of Life: 1007349 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:15885-1 Tropicos: 40029711 WFO: wfo-4000034031

This eudicot-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

- [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Eudicot-stub)
- [t](/source/Template_talk%3AEudicot-stub)
- [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Eudicot-stub)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sarcococca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcococca) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcococca?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.